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Best answer

Issue with Zapier Formatter: current time is not updating correctly in Google Sheets

growth.land

I am having an issue with the Formatter's Date / Time feature in one of my Zaps. The Zap is designed to create a new row in a Google Sheets spreadsheet every time a certain trigger event happens. I added a step with the Formatter by Zapier to generate a timestamp of the current date and time for each new row.

In the Formatter setup, I have used 'Now' as the input and 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss' as the 'To Format'.

However, I've noticed that even though the date is correct, the time always remains the same and does not reflect the current time when the Zap runs.

Any ideas?

Best answer by ken.aBest answer by ken.a

Hi there @growth.land,

I’m jumping in to see if I can help!

I replicated the Formatter setup that you’re using. After looking into it, it appears that the issue lies with the typed data in the “Input” field. It seems that the typed “Now” value isn't being recognized by the Formatter. To resolve this, I recommend using the {{zap_meta_human_now}} data instead. This should provide the desired result.

Here’s what it’ll look like:

1c516b061e35f8c591ce6f0b0a939bf4.png
(view larger)

2f54abaab742a0fd3ca008bc56633271.png
(view larger)

Hopefully, this helps! 😊

View original
Did this topic help you find an answer to your question?

7 replies

chanelle
Forum|alt.badge.img+8
  • chanelleZapier Staff
  • Zapier Staff
  • 628 replies
  • May 31, 2023

Hmm @growth.land this is interesting, can you please provide a screenshot of your Formatter set up? From my knowledge, this isn’t the intended outcome and I’d like to take a closer look at what’s going on. 

growth.land
1 person likes this
  • growth.land
    growth.land
growth.land
  • growth.landBeginner
  • Author
  • Beginner
  • 3 replies
  • May 31, 2023

Hola @chanelle 

Thx for answering.

Here they go:

 

 

 

 

ken.a
Forum|alt.badge.img+6
  • ken.aZapier Staff
  • Zapier Staff
  • 6466 replies
  • Answer
  • June 1, 2023

Hi there @growth.land,

I’m jumping in to see if I can help!

I replicated the Formatter setup that you’re using. After looking into it, it appears that the issue lies with the typed data in the “Input” field. It seems that the typed “Now” value isn't being recognized by the Formatter. To resolve this, I recommend using the {{zap_meta_human_now}} data instead. This should provide the desired result.

Here’s what it’ll look like:

1c516b061e35f8c591ce6f0b0a939bf4.png
(view larger)

2f54abaab742a0fd3ca008bc56633271.png
(view larger)

Hopefully, this helps! 😊

growth.land
1 person likes this
  • growth.land
    growth.land
Troy Tessalone
Forum|alt.badge.img+14

Hi @growth.land 

Try testing with the Zap ON, then check your Zap Runs to see the DATA IN/OUT for each Zap step, as sometimes the Zap Editor test data can be inaccurate.

OR

Help article about inserting system timestamp formats: https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496275717261

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
growth.land
1 person likes this
  • growth.land
    growth.land
growth.land
  • growth.landBeginner
  • Author
  • Beginner
  • 3 replies
  • June 1, 2023
ken.a wrote:

Hi there @growth.land,

I’m jumping in to see if I can help!

I replicated the Formatter setup that you’re using. After looking into it, it appears that the issue lies with the typed data in the “Input” field. It seems that the typed “Now” value isn't being recognized by the Formatter. To resolve this, I recommend using the {{zap_meta_human_now}} data instead. This should provide the desired result.

Here’s what it’ll look like:

1c516b061e35f8c591ce6f0b0a939bf4.png
(view larger)

2f54abaab742a0fd3ca008bc56633271.png
(view larger)

Hopefully, this helps! 😊

Gracias @ken.a. It worked perfectly!

growth.land
  • growth.landBeginner
  • Author
  • Beginner
  • 3 replies
  • June 1, 2023
Troy Tessalone wrote:

Hi @growth.land 

Try testing with the Zap ON, then check your Zap Runs to see the DATA IN/OUT for each Zap step, as sometimes the Zap Editor test data can be inaccurate.

OR

Help article about inserting system timestamp formats: https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496275717261

Thx @Troy Tessalone.

@ken.a solution worked perfect. 

ken.a
Forum|alt.badge.img+6
  • ken.aZapier Staff
  • Zapier Staff
  • 6466 replies
  • June 2, 2023

Hi @growth.land,

You are most welcome! I’m glad it worked!

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the Community. We’re always happy to help! 😊

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